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❦ ❀ Relations ❀❦

Family
-> Vermina, her partner.
-> Briallen & Faenna, her Alkidike daughters.
-> Seiong & Odina, her Vandrea daughters.

Friends/Foes
-> Tyiva, one of her eyes that explored the world when Danika was still living in Chibale.
-> Taka, another of her eyes who is a feisty huntress.

❦ ❀ Tension ❀❦

A lone figure sat perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was early sunrise and the waters glistened like crystals against the rising amber rays of light. The sight was usually beautiful to Danika, especially with the way the sun painted the sky with various colors, but today she was a bit too preoccupied to allow such a sight to truly lift her spirits. A crumpled letter rested in her fingers, the edges worn down from hours pouring over the words written there in Aishan script. It was strange to think that an Elaria had written such a thing in their mother tongue but yet here it was. They learned so much from us and took from our culture to only twist it even more like the extremists wanted. Danika huffed as she twisted the letter once more in her hands. “They learned so much but still could not think for themselves.” She was an optimist and one who pushed for a peaceful future where the races could coexist but the hatred of the Elaria managed to get beneath her usual peaceful nature and stir her ire. They were the epitome of the Extremists’ hatred against the earthling races and Danika still did not understand how Aisha allowed such a vile tree to bloom.

A sigh left her lips as she looked away from the letter and back towards the ocean. At one point she truly had been hopeful that they could change and that Aisha had allowed their race to bloom for a reason. Perhaps they were a gateway to the future, a way to help their kind transition with all the other changes in the world. So far they had only proven to be a continuation of the Extremists and their driving thirst for conquest and destruction. The appearance of the Dretch hadn’t even stirred their hearts and the battles that they fought were simply for self preservation alone. Danika would not have been surprised if the Dretch had taken them while they hid in their camp on Yael, but the great battle had occurred before such a disaster could strike their estranged cousins. “Still they did not learn their lesson.” They had just retreated to recover their numbers and continue preparing a new generation of hatred. Was that why Aisha was punishing them now? Was that why their own tree had fallen ill and their future uncertain? One would think that surely that would be a good shove for them to change. She shook her head as she pondered the whole situation. She had the knowledge, the ancient tomes passed down from mystic to mystic for centuries but did she have the drive to offer her aid to them? Honestly she wasn’t completely certain of the answer to that question.

Anyone could change whenever it was in their favor. The truth behind the change would be seen once the trouble had passed and if they went back to their old ways or actually accepted a truce and tried to uphold peace. Danika had spent the last night and the whole morning pondering her options while the Elders and Eshe continued their deep discussion. She did not want to refuse aid to those in such a crisis but had acknowledged her own concern about how valid the Elarias’ promises would be once their tree recovered. She was not alone in her worries either and so began a lengthy discussion with the Elders and Eshe. They had reasoned that a meeting with the Elaria could give better insight and had sent messengers instructing them of the designated place and time. It was after that decision was made that Danika made her own suggestion. Why not keep their sacred knowledge secret and take someone there to Yael who could help with the tree’s illness directly? That way should anything occur in the future the peace between cousins could allow them to offer their aid again if necessary. She believed it to be a far better option, a show of good faith that also did not give away too many secrets that could be used to help maintain peace later. It felt a bit dirty to do such a tactic but Danika was not confident in their relationships with their estranged cousins. While the Elders were acceptable of keeping the actual tomes and such to their own tribe, they were not quite so fond of Danika actually volunteering to be the one to venture into enemy territory. Whether or not they agreed to a truce it did not instantly resolve the bad blood from only a decade or two earlier. Even if they did not receive copies of their ancient knowledge what was to stop them from harming the young mystic? Danika huffed at the thought. After years of training and after proving herself against the Dretch one would assume that they would have more faith in her capabilities by now. Though I suppose I can understand their concerns. She was young and still reckless in their eyes whenever it came to putting herself in danger. Danika would always act to protect others before thinking of herself which despite being an admirable quality for some was a potential disaster to their future when it was their mystic doing such self-sacrifice.

Still, they would make their final decision based upon the outcome of the meeting. The dire situation did not leave them much time for debate and the meeting would happen within the couple of days, if not earlier. Danika just hoped that the Elaria could present their case and their intentions well to the Alkidikes who could make the gathering. If Tyiva was not in Oba then I would surely have asked her to stand by my side. The thought made her chew on her bottom lip in concern. There were surely other Sisters who she knew to rely on but it was not the same as having someone whom she had trained with since her childhood. Should a fight break out then she would want her blade sister at her side. I’ll be fine. Danika reassured herself as she leaned back against the ground and let her feet dangle from the ledge, a bit hazardous perhaps but nothing that she hadn’t done before. Her dark eyes studied the brightening skies as her lips pursed into a tight frown. If they handled their cards well then there would be no fighting. They wanted peace after all since enough blood had been shed in the previous separation of the Sisters. This was a time to heal and to recover their numbers, not divide themselves even more and especially not for some estranged cousins who had never bothered to even try to unite before this situation forced their hands. Aisha grant me strength to show mercy. If this had been five years ago then perhaps Danika would have been more open to things but ever since that last botched attempt at peace she had felt her heart hardening against their cousins. Would she be truly capable of staying calm now should they cause a new ruckus?

“I suppose we will see.” Danika closed her eyes against the sunlight with another sigh. It seemed that she was full of sighs lately which was not surprising at all considering recent events. Already she had so much on her mind including more than just a trip to Yael. It appeared that traveling was definitely in her future and that Aisha had more plans for her than what Danika had ever imagined being possible. If everything went well the Elaria would not be the only cousins that their kind had in this world. No, the new tree would surely thrive and give them a different generation full of a new hope as well. Danika was certain of it. It was why she had pressed so hard for the Elders to allow a group of Sisters to travel to Belrea with a new seed. The seed had grown into a fine tree and there was a potential for blooms to form on its branches now that a few years had passed. It was such a possibility that they had realized the tree may need a mystic to help care for it for a few years until the Sisters truly settled into the new island and tree. Eshe was still strong and could take care of Chibale but a journey would perhaps be something more suited for someone younger and full of energy, someone whom they still were wary about completely handing control to just yet. A new island was more like a final test, she felt. A test to see how much of a leader she could truly be now that her push for peace was shaping their way of life. No more conquest, no more division, just coexistence that allowed respect to grow between the races. Certainly there was still a lot of pride and many Sisters still wanted to only belong to their kind, but the hatred against others and hybrids had somewhat lessened in the past couple of years. They were moving forward and Danika was proud of her race for their strength and growing compassion in the world. She just prayed to Aisha that everything would continue going smoothly and that this future meeting and travels would be blessed by the Great Mother as well.

[1562]